“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 HCSB

God Delights In Mercy

I
am preparing the new blog site to go live. With that, I find myself needing to
write the most important things I have written yet. Therefore, I will
temporarily be turning my energy away from the study of Hebrews, and towards
the new blog project in order to give it my full attention.

This
seems like the perfect opportunity to run a repeat of the most popular posts on
this blog of all time. This updated post titled God Delights In Mercy was originally published on November 9, 2012:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 NKJV

It is a
miracle. The liberty issue we were fighting for in the recent election actually
won. All the odds were against us. I am amazed, and thankful beyond words.

Looking
back, I wish I could say that I always took the high road in the game. I had
never been involved in anything political before, and this was a nasty argument.
Widely publicized debates, editorials, press conferences, and letters to the
editor abounded with each side accusing the other of misrepresentation, lies,
and emotionalism.

My husband
was in the public eye and was attacked personally in many ways. I was handling
it pretty well. However, as the pressure mounted things were spiraling out of
control. Then finally, I broke. I wrote a comment to post on a website. I sent
it to my husband and he approved it. My heart was racing as I posted the
comment, but I did not believe I was unjustified in making it. And I
wasn't.

However…I
was not merciful. Even though I did not slander anyone personally, and I was
careful to not say anything out of anger, it was not merciful. And it left me
sad, and honestly ashamed. I could no longer say that for the most part I acted
with complete integrity.

I do not
believe that God has asked us to do anything that He will not empower us to do.
The things that happen to us that are the most unjust will not be possible for
us to forgive in our own strength. And while victory is sweet in an election,
there is no greater victory than being in the center of God's will.

The
following quote from Barnes Notes on the
Bible sheds more light on the divine subject of mercy:

Nowhere do we imitate God more than in showing mercy. In
nothing does God delight more than in the exercise of mercy, Exodus 34:6;
Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9.

To us, guilty sinners; to us, wretched, dying, and exposed
to eternal woe, He has shown His mercy by giving His Son to die for us; by
expressing His willingness to pardon and save us; and by sending His Spirit to
renew and sanctify our hearts.

Each day of our life, each hour, and each moment, we partake
of His undeserved mercy. All the blessings we enjoy are proofs of His mercy.

If we, then, show mercy to the poor, the wretched, the
guilty, it shows that we are like God. We have His Spirit, and shall not lose
our reward. And we have abundant opportunity to do it.

Our world is full of guilt and woe, which we may help to
relieve; and every day of our lives we have opportunity, by helping the poor and
wretched, and by forgiving those who injure us, to show that we are like God.